In the 11th century in Jerusalem, a small group of French knights created an organization called the Order of the Templars or the Order of the Poor Knights of Christ. They saw their purpose in protecting Christianity from Muslim expansion, and their main distinctive sign was the red cross.
One of the most famous castles of the Templars is Convento de Cristo. It is located in the small Portuguese town of Tomar (on the map). This castle, included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, was built back in the 12th century. At that time, there was no settlement on this site, so the Templar fortification actually became the first complex of buildings of the future city. Tomar was finally formed only towards the end of the 14th century, that is, after the dissolution of the order.
Today the walls of the popular tourist castle of Convento de Cristo are covered with moss. It, of course, spoils the surface, but it is not cleaned off, since such manipulations can lead to even greater damage.
Convento de Cristo is a huge castle with elegant Gothic galleries. Only 8 of them have survived to this day. Walking through the galleries, an observant tourist can notice all sorts of references to the sea element: stone ropes, rope knots, sails, sculptures of sailors and images of sea monsters.
The fact is that after the dissolution of the Templar Order, the Order of Christ was created in Portugal – the successor of the Templars. With the permission of the Pope, this order even preserved all their property. Among the Grand Masters of the Order of Christ were many Portuguese rulers and prominent political figures. Including the famous Henry the Navigator. He became famous for organizing expeditions along the West African coast. Henry the Navigator dreamed of circumnavigating Africa and opening the way to India. Although his dream was not destined to come true, symbolic references to sea voyages appeared in many architectural structures of his era. The residence of the Grand Master of the Order of Christ, the Convento de Cristo Castle, was no exception.
On the western façade of the Convento de Cristo Castle you can see the famous Royal Window, richly decorated with bas-reliefs and the symbol of the Templar Order – a large stone cross. There is an interesting story connected with it. Imagine, just during this one window in the 19th century, England offered Portugal to write off all public debts. According to rumors, the path to the Templar treasures is encrypted in its bas-reliefs. Whether this is true or not is unknown. But the Portuguese did not agree to the deal.
On the territory of the castle there is the famous Rotunda of the Templars. This is the name of the Sharol Church – one of the oldest buildings in the area. The church was built in the second half of the 12th century. It is a massive sixteen-sided tower. Its appearance is ascetic: gray stones, narrow loophole windows and a small bell tower. But the interior decoration is famous for its luxury. On the high vaults, paintings from the 16th century have been preserved, and the walls are decorated with statues and paintings made by court masters of that time. Among them are Jorge Afonso, Gregorio Lopes, Olivier de Gand and Hernan Muñoz.
In addition to the Sharola church, there are 8 more monasteries near the castle, which were built in the 15th-16th centuries. One of them is called the “washing room” – here the monks put their clothes in order. The other was intended only for the burial of knights.
It is noteworthy that for the first time round towers were erected in the Convento de Cristo castle, which made it almost impregnable: thanks to their resistance to throwing weapons, the Templars managed to withstand the siege of one of the most powerful rulers of the Almohad state.
Every four years, the Tabuleiros Festival is held in Tomar, where the castle is located. During the procession, which is accompanied by music and fireworks, 400 girls in medieval costumes carry 15-kilogram “towers” of flowers, bread and fruit on their heads. All products are blessed by the priest and the next day distributed to residents and guests of the city.
In order to see the castle with your own eyes, you need to buy tickets to Lisbon. From the capital of Portugal, the city of Tomar is only 140 kilometers away. It is approximately two hours by car or train, which departs regularly from Santa Apolonia Station. And in Tomar itself, the road to the Convento de Cristo Castle is not difficult to find: its majestic towers are visible from almost anywhere in the city.
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The castle is open to visitors daily from 9:00 to 18:30, and the ticket price for an adult is 6 euros. By the way, every first Sunday of the month you can enter the castle territory for free.
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